An optical recording medium having two information carrier layers, on which information can be written by means of a focused light beam, is disclosed in EP-A2-0 706 178. In the case of the known recording medium, a separating layer is arranged between the information carrier layers and a transparent covering layer is arranged between the information carrier layer and the surface of the recording medium. The thickness of the transparent covering layer substantially exceeds that of the information carrier layer, which means that dirt or scratches on the surface of the recording medium do not result in any disruption, or result only in slight disruption, during the writing process or the read-out process. The thicker the covering layer, the greater the diameter of the scanning light beam at the level of the surface; concealment by dirt or impairment by scratches thus affects only a small part of the light beam. Both information carrier layers can be read from or written to from one side of the recording medium. In this case, the light beam passes through the upper of the information carrier layers. The known recording medium may be regarded as having the disadvantage that, for recording on the lower information carrier layer, the light beam must pass through the upper information carrier layer. The consequence of this is that only a small proportion of the optical power reaches as far as the lower information carrier layer. In order to provide the power necessary for the writing operation, the light beam falling onto the recording medium must already have an appropriate intensity. On the one hand, this has an adverse effect on the light source, whose service life may be shortened as a result, or whose production costs, because of the increased requirements, are higher than is tolerable for mass-produced products. On the other hand, a high power density in the light beam can cause the upper information carrier layer to be impaired. Designing the lower information carrier layer such that it is more sensitive, so that it can actually be written to using a lower optical power, again increases the complexity and hence the price of the recording medium.